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Today marks the world-wide celebration of International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. International Women's Day is all about celebration, reflection, advocacy, and action.

At GGP we are fortunate to work with powerful women making a change across forty countries, who inspire others in their daily work towards economic empowerment and equality. While we celebrate these women and their accomplishments everyday, today we would like to bring special attention to the difficulties these women have overcome.

According to the UN Women organization, women across the globe still face daily inequalities, including:

Sexual Violence - "One in three women and girls are impacted by physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes. A gross human rights violation, this pandemic fractures families and communities and hampers development, also costing billions of dollars annually in health care costs and lost productivity."

Unequal Pay - "While 139 constitutions guarantee gender equality and 117 have equal pay laws, women are still paid 10-30 per cent less than men, on average. Countries with greater gender equality have economies that grow faster, as shown through a comparative analysis of 134 countries. When women are empowered and have an income, they invest back into their families and communities, driving down hunger, poverty and malnutrition, and improving health, education and well-being."

Poverty - "Women remain disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination and exploitation, with more than half (50.4%) of working women in vulnerable employment. If women’s paid employment rates were raised to the same level as men’s, gross domestic product would be between 9 and 16 per cent higher in major developed economies while in developing economies, per capita income could rise by 14 per cent by 2020."

Lack of Representation - "Thirty per cent is considered the “critical mass” mark for women’s representation. Worldwide low representation of women in parliaments continues, with only one in five legislators being women. Women’s representation in governments makes a difference. In India in areas with female-led local councils the number of drinking water projects was 62 per cent higher than in those with male-led councils, while in Norway, evidence shows a direct relationship between the number of women in municipal councils and childcare coverage they enacted.

To get involved in International Women's Day, take a look at their website here. You can search for local events to participate in and make a #PledgeforParity, supporting gender equality.

Are you planning on taking action today? Tag or tweet us at @GlobalGoods and let us know!

Thanks to International Women's Day and UN Women for the facts provided in this post.